Directional gyroscope



Nov. 28, 1944.

M. F. BATES DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE 2 Sheets-Sheet '2 7 Filed Jan. 2 1941 W y W INVENTOR MORTIMER F. BATES WATTORNEY I Patented Nov. 28, 1944 DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE Mortimer F. Bates, Brooklyn, N. Y., asslgnor to Sperry Gyroscope Company, Inc., Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 2, 1941, Serial No. 312,757

4 Claims.

the rotor and its rotor-bearing frame in a substantially closed casing which constitutes or takes the'place of the usual open vertical ring and I so discharge the used air from said casing that it serves to maintain the rotor erect. While my invention is applicable to either the pressure or vacuum driven type of instruments, I have shown the latter system in the drawings. Other improvements accomplished by my invention will be apparent from the following specification and claims.

Referring to the drawings showing the preferred form of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through the outer casing and inner casing of a gyroscope constructed in accordance with my invention, the section being taken substantially on line II of Fig. 3.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the resetting mechanism for the card.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line 3--3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken substantially on line 44 of Fig. 1.

The rotor I of my directional gyroscope is shown as of the air spun type, being journaled for spinning about a normally horizontal axis in the rotor bearing frame 2 on anti-friction bearings 3 and 4.- The rotor proper or rim I is preferably made; of some heavy materiall such as brass, but the shaft 5 is preferably made of the saine metal as the frame 2 to avoid troubles with temperature compensation, the material preferably being aluminum alloy or other light metal. The shaft 5 is shown as having a short bore at "its ends in which the reduced inner ends 6 of the tapered studs 1 and 8 fit. The outer cone faces of said studs form the inner member of the ball bearings 3 and 4. The shaft 5 is shown 5, the shaft is left free to expand and-contract naturally at its known rate of expansion so as to avoid binding of the bearings, due to unequal expansion of the shaft and ring 2. 1 l J The rotor is shown as having buckets I2 cut therein, against which an air jet discharged fromthe nozzle I3 impinges to spin the rotor. But a single nozzle may be employed, if desired, since the spinning jet is not relied on, as in prior inventions, to maintain the shaft horizontal, since I prefer to employ additional means for this purpose. According to my invention, the vertical ring or gimbal I4, within which the rotor bearing frame 2 is journaled on horizontal axis I5--I5, is made in the form of a cylindrical casing completely enclosing the rotor and its bearing frame. The used air discharged from the nozzle I3 is discharged from the casing through ports I6 and I6 which are normally partially closed by a shutter or cut-off ring I! secured to the frame 2 (Fig. 4). equally open, as shown in Fig. 4, but upon relative tilt of the gyroscope and its vertical ring,'

one of the ports is covered more than the other, resulting in greater discharge of air from the latter and hence causing an unbalanced torque around the vertical axis I 8I8' of the vertical ring or casing I4.

An outer casing or housing I9 encloses the entire instrument and in it the inner casing I4 is journaled about the aforesaid vertical axis I8I8' on anti-friction bearings. Air is continuously exhausted from the case I9 through pipe coupling 20, Air is admitted through a screened opening 2| in the bottomof the case I9. Thence it passes through vertical passages 22 22, around the bearing I8, thence into annular channel 23, and thence through inclined bores g4 within the stem 25 projecting downwardly from he casing I4. Thence the air passes through a channel 26 to the nozzle I3.

'Preferably, also, I provide a weak spring connection 21 between the frame 2 and the vertical casing ring I4 so as to exert a weak torque about the horizontal axis I5--I5' upon relative tilt of the rotor frame 2 and the vertical casing. This is for the purpose of reducing wandering about the vertical axis due to friction about the horizontal axis I5I5', which might otherwise be caused by the torque exerted by the erection jets I6, I6. Adjustment of the spring tension may be secured by anchoring the upper end of the spring in a set screw 21 threaded in an interior boss within casing I4.

The compass card 28, shown as of the side reading cylindrical type, is visible through the front window 29 in casing I9. Instead of resetting the gyroscope, as is the present general practice, I propose to reset the card only. For this purpose Normally, the discharge ports I6 and I6 are I have shown the card as secured to a separable disc as normally resting on the flat top of the vertical ring casing I4. I also provide a means for lifting the card and resetting it while lifted. Such means is shown as comprising a knob- 3| mounted on a shaft 32 entering the casing l9 near the top and slidably and rotatably mounted therein. Said shaft is shown'as splined in a bevel pinion 33 meshing with a bevel gear 34, to which .is secured a spur pinion 35 meshing with a larger gear 36. The gear 36 isshown as journaled on a central stem 31 and as carrying a conical clutch face 38. The disc 30 is also shown as having a collar 35 thereon having an inner complementary conical clutch surface fill adapted to engage the surface 38 when lifted. Lifting of the disc 39 will also free the disc from engagement with the casing 54 so that turning of the disc, when lifted, does not disturb the gyroscope.

Small magnets 52 are shown in the bottom of the collar 39, cooperating with a small soft iron annular inset dd in the casing id for the purpose of holding the card firmly on top of the casing it when in the operating position.

For lifting the card, I have shown a pivoted fork id with its inner end secured to a sleeve d iournaled atdt in a bracket ll. At its open end said fork is provided with inwardly facing rollers 1Z3 loosely fitting between the top of the disc 3d and a circular flange as on the collar It will be evident, therefore, that when the forked end of the lever dd is raised, the disc will be lifted from the casing id and the conical clutch sur faces 33 and do will engage. For this purpose there is also secured to the sleeve lti an arm 5% having a notch iii in the end thereof with a bev eled entrance 52 thereto. The inner end 53 of the shaft 32 is shown as reduced and rounded so that when. the shaft is pushed inwardly, the reduced end 53 thereof engages the beveled sur face to raise the lever 58 to enter the notch El, thereby lifting the collar and disc 30 and card 23. Thereupon the knob 3! may be rotated to reset thecard through the gearing 33, 3d, 35 and 36, and clutch 38 and it as described.

As many changes could'be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description orshown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as'illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a directional gyroscope'having an air spun rotor and rotor bearing frame, a closed casing in which said frame is mounted for oscillation about a horizontal axis, means mounting said casing for freedom about a vertical axis, means for introducing-a jet of air into said casing for spinning the rotor, a pair of oppositely directed ports in said casing for discharging the used air, and a shutter on said frame for differaxis.

aeoaaos entially closing and opening said ports upon relative tilt of said frame and casing, whereby tilt mounting said casing for freedom about a normally vertical axis, a pair of opposed ports in said casing so positioned as to discharge air therefrom in directions to exert normally equal and opposite torques on said casing about said vertical axis, and a shutter on said frame for differentiai y closing the entrances to said ports upon relative tilt of said frame and casing, whereby tilt of the frame is prevented.

3. A gyroscopic instrument comprising, a housing functioning as an outer gimbal, means supporting said outer gimbal for pivotal movement about a first axis, an inner gimbal pivotally carried by the outer gimbal about a second axis disposed at right angles to the first axis, said inner gimbal being located within said housing, a gyro-rotor pivotally mounted in said inner gimbal about a third axis at right angles to the second. axis, an air jet device for impelling the gyro rotor, means defining an air duct supported by said housing and leading through the means sup porting it for pivotal movement to said jet de vice, a plurality of jet nozzles supported on said housing, extending substantially tangentially thereof in opposite directions and constituting exhaust ports therefor, and selective valve means to control iiow through the jet nozzles in response to movement of the inner gimbal relative to the outer gimbal, whereby when a current of air is passed through said air jet device and said jet nozzles in series the gyro-rotor is caused to turn and the'reaction of the jets from said jet nozzles applies a couple to the outer gimbal about the first axis to bring the inner gimbal to a predetermined position relative to the outer gimbal by precession of the gyro-rotor when the inner and outer gimbals are away from said predetermined position.

i. In a air-driven gyroscope instrument, an outer enclosing-housing, .means whereby air exhausted therefrom, an inner casing, bearing means mounting said casing within said housing for freedom about an axis, said bearing means havin passageways leading therethrough to ad'- mit atmospheric air within said casing, a rotorbearing frame pivotally mounted within said casing upon a second axis, a spinning jet connected to said passageways for spinning the rotor, ports discharging air from said casing into saidhousing in opposite directions for exerting normally balanced opposing torques about said first axis, and a shutter on said frame for differentially closing and opening the entrances to said discharge ports upon relative tiltof said frame with respect to said casing about said last-mentioned MORTIMER F. BATES. 

